Not a single crime was committed against foreigners who visited Jammu and Kashmir during 2016, the national crime records bureau (NCRB) has revealed.

Kashmir saw a six-month-long uprising triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani in July 2016. During this period, at least 100 civilians were killed and thousands injured in action by the police and paramilitary forces.

The NCRB report has cheered up the tourism players in Kashmir who say that it has vindicated their stance that Kashmir always stands for warmth for tourists and visitors.

As per the report, 382 crimes were committed against foreigners in India out of which 154 were committed in Delhi itself.

Asserting that overall crimes against foreigners have increased in India, the report says that in 2016, 12 foreigners were murdered, 19 raped, 19 robbed and 38 foreign women assaulted in the country.

As per the data, 38 crimes were reported against foreigners in Maharashtra, 33 in Puducherry, 25 in Rajasthan, 24 in Tamil Nadu, 22 in Goa, 15 in Kerala and 12 in Karnataka.

Jammu and Kashmir, the report says, recorded zero crimes against the foreigners during the same period.

In 2015, the number of crimes reported against foreign nationals in Delhi stood at 147. This has, according to the NCRB report, increased to 154 last year.

“It is a good news for Kashmir. We have been saying again and again that Kashmiris will never let any harm come to tourists or visitors. We have protected them even in worst times,” said chairman, PHD chamber of commerce and industries, Mushtaq Ahmad Chaya.

The NCRB has vindicated our position, despite the negative propaganda against Kashmir tourism by outside media houses, that Kashmir is a safe tourist destination, Chaya said.

He said that the report is a slap on the face of those news channels which present Kashmir in a negative light.

Chaya is also chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Hoteliers’ Club.

He said that Kashmir and its people have always stood for humanity, love, affection and warmth for the visitors, be it tourists or any other person who visits Kashmir.

“I would ask the outsiders to visit Kashmir as it is the safest destination,” he said.

Chairman, PLTOF, Nasir Ahmad said that the NCRB report is a morale booster for tourism players as well as locals and has again shown to the world how safe Kashmir is.

“We have not let any harm come to tourists even at the time when our houses were burning. This is the spirit of ‘Kashmiriyat’ which believes in humanity and spread of love,” he said.

Travel agent Shamim Shah said that NCRB report is a victory against the negative propaganda being propagated by the outside media channels against Kashmir.